MMBA

NOTICE: All posts made within this forum are the opinion and responsibility of
the individual making the post and do not necessarily represent the opinions or stance of the MMBA.
Questions or comments about individual posts should be directed to the post author(s).
Questions about the MMBA itself may be directed to info@mmba.org.

As soon as we've seen the actual plan, we'll assess and digest that information, via the Metro South board. It's difficult at this point to know how much we'll actually have to work with, but as soon as we do, we'll begin to arrange with the City to coordinate with their development plans [which are as yet unknown]. There's a lot of logistics to entertain, that go way beyond a mountain bike trail, yet we will make every effort to be at the forefront of that.

That said, take a minute to look at the condensed survey results - interesting to note that mountain biking is shown prominently in two of the four schemes, and we are being taken seriously. So - THANK YOU, to all of you who took the time to chime in during the public comment period - you may have just pulled this one off, or at least gotten us to the door.....

So I have looked at all the "ideas" that have been brought up for consideration and I have a question. Is there any difference between a mountain bike trail and a hiking trail. I mean, obviously ones hiking and the other is mountain biking, but unless they don't want to combine the two because of speed (bike vs hiker) I see no reason why there should be some trails for us.

Not to mention, Im sure we all know what that land looks like, or atleast I do from driving passed, there are plenty of woods. On the 7 mile "part" of the land, there is obviously that one main hospital which is fairly large, but behind it is all woods. I don't see why they wouldn't consider hiking/mountain biking trails because it takes considerably less money to pull these two options toget then it would a "tower/architectural feature" or an "amphitheater". In comparision, I think we're in the lead, lol.

Either way, IMO, I think were are almost for certain going to be seeing some trails over there. WHICH makes me happy because I live on 8 mile just East of Novi Rd., so this is right around the corner from me. Granted its going to take some time, but holy crap, how awesome to think... HOLY

Sounds promising for us in the biking world considering 2/3 of the land is nature and is said to be untouched. Hoping that untouched doesn't mean no trails. What I got that article is that there "should be"biking trails... WooHoo

Parks like this unfold over time. I suspect that the inexpensive infrastructure (trails) could happen sooner, and the more expensive work can occur over time as money becomes available. The big wild card here is the existence of the hospital buildings, dangerous and full of hazardous material, that need to come down before the plan can be realized.

I read in one of the articles that the plan is to open it up for some uses earlier than that. I am hoping that means as soon as the area is determined to be safe and some trails can be built. I will also be attending, so hopefully we can report back tomorrow with details.

The Northville board of trustees voted unanimously to approve a master plan for the 7 mile property. This is an ambitious plan that will unfold over many years. In addition to multi-use paved paths that circumnavigate the entire park, this plan allocates a significant amount of contiguous space on the western forested end of the park for mountain biking trails. At first guess, we're estimating that 4 to 5 miles of singletrack may be appropriate in this space, given the terrain.

Details on the plan should be posted on the Northville site shortly.

Thank you to all who've participated in the surveys, in meetings, and in emails to make this happen.

I've sent the following to the board of trustees and our parks contacts, and we've received a pretty positive response in phone discussions and emails. I think the next steps reside with the township, but we've discussed scheduling a walk through of the park with them later this Spring.

We'd like to congratulate you and the citizens of Northville in adopting a truly inspiring master plan for the 7 Mile Road Park. A number of our Northville members have been participating in the process and have been in contact with me regarding ways in which we as an organization can help move this plan forward. This is an impressive, ambitious vision that can rally community groups far into the future, and the Michigan Mountain Biking Association would like to be part of this future.

The Michigan Mountain Biking Association works with land managers to develop and maintain trail systems in state, county, and township parks throughout Michigan. Our local chapter, Metro South, actively works with the following organizations:

- Commerce Township, where we maintain approximately 6.5 miles of multi-use trail at Hickory Glen Park. Earlier this year, the Township honored us with a Parks and Recreation Outstanding Service award for 2011 in recognition of this work.

- The City of Novi, where our cooperative partnership to build and maintain the trail system at Lakeshore Park stretches over a decade. These trails were cited as a reason Money magazine rated Novi as a top 50 best places to live in recent years, and summer evenings frequently find the parking lots filled.

- The Charter Township of Milford, where we have developed approximately 6 miles of multi-use trail and contributed to the development of several connecting pathway projects. These trails have helped position Milford as a bike-friendly community, bringing hundreds of visitors into the area for organized racing and riding events.

- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, our partner in maintaining the 6 miles of trail at Maybury State Park, 16 miles at Highland Recreation Area, 16 miles at Island Lake Recreation Area, and 10 miles at Proud Lake Recreation Area.

Each of our trails has one or more designated Trail Coordinators, providing a single point of contact between the land manager and our volunteers. These coordinators have access to skilled trail designers educated in International Mountain Biking Association and USDA Forest Service standards for the construction of sustainable multi-use trail systems, and a large pool of passionate volunteers and crew leaders. As a chapter, we contribute an average of 2,000 volunteer hours each year on these local trails, and our trail days can bring in as many as 50 volunteers. In addition to labor, our organization designs and installs maps and directional signage, builds bridges and boardwalks as necessary, and builds sign kiosks and other trail infrastructure. This work is made possible through the efforts of our mountain biking volunteers, their membership dollars, the proceeds of our fundraising events, and corporate grants.

When you are ready, we would like to work with you to make the 7 Mile Road Park mountain bike trails a reality.

Feel free to forward this to the appropriate team, and contact me at any time to discuss this further.